


Christmas at The Eberbachs

by IHidMyFaceFromYouNoMore



Category: Eroica Yori Ai o Komete | From Eroica with Love
Genre: Christmas, Established Relationship, M/M, Secret Relationship, Tender Handholding, Time Period is somewhere in the 80s but ehhh not that important, family gathering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21901918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IHidMyFaceFromYouNoMore/pseuds/IHidMyFaceFromYouNoMore
Summary: Dorian had no idea what was coming. If he had, he might not have agreed to meet the extended Eberbachs at their annual Christmas get-together. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened when Klaus rang the doorbell.(This fic includes fanart !)
Relationships: Klaus von dem Eberbach & Dorian Red Gloria, Klaus von dem Eberbach/Dorian Red Gloria
Comments: 10
Kudos: 23





	Christmas at The Eberbachs

Klaus put the Benz in neutral and pulled the parking-brake with a force not unusual to his dour mood. He turned to Dorian in the passenger seat as he turned the key to the off-position. “Two hours. Not a second more. I just have to say hello to everyone and listen to them talk about themselves for a while and then we are out of there.” 

Dorian offered a smile that Klaus accepted even if he couldn’t show it. “I’m aware. And I won’t embarrass you no matter how much I wish to.” He looked in the overhead mirror one last time. “I’ll be amiable. And it’ll be a wonderful opportunity to try out all the German I've practiced over the years.” 

Klaus’ stern expression remained unchanged but he did nod in that way that showed Dorian that he cared for him. Then he reached over to hold Dorian’s hand with a sigh, just for a moment. The Major eventually got out of the car and opened the passenger door for the Earl to step out. 

Dorian finally got a good look at the estate. It seemed smaller than Schloss Eberbach, but the architecture was deceitful. It looked cuter somehow, homier. Still, the surrounding garden and rows of cars told a more aristocratic story. All Mercedes’ and BMW’s, of course. Loyal Germans after all. 

Dorian didn’t notice Klaus opening the trunk before he heard it close. “What have you got there?” Dorian looked at him holding an elegant paper-wrapped present. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Klaus teased. “Erh, it’s just a thing for one of my aunts. It’s nothing.” 

Dorian had no idea what was coming. If he had, he might not have agreed to meet the extended Eberbachs at their annual Christmas get-together. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened when Klaus rang the doorbell. The Major sighed again and shook his shoulders as if bracing himself for a fight. _Must be hard for him to be around them. Poor Klaus._

The door flung open and Dorian expected a butler. What he got was a short little woman, possibly one of those aunts Klaus hadn’t talked about until the thing with the present was brought up. She certainly had the eyes, though faded green, but the resemblance ended there, because she wore the biggest smile Dorian had ever seen and she threw her arms wide open as she looked up at Klaus with so much admiration. “Klaus! Oh, my beautiful boy!” 

Dorian glanced to him to see how badly he was handling this oncoming affection. 

But it wasn’t what Dorian had expected. The man, Iron Klaus of NATO, whose biggest pet peeve in life was public displays of any form of affection, smiled and opened his arms likewise wide before bending down to bearhug the tiny woman. “Oda, so glad to be here! It’s been far too long.” 

Dorian listened to his partner spout platitudes with a conviction you could not distinguish from the real deal. He was now beginning to feel the shock. Klaus? _Smiling wide_? _Embracing_ another human being? _Voluntarily_? 

Klaus turned to Dorian with his unsettling smile. “Oda, this is my colleague Dorian, the Earl of Gloria.” 

She extended a hand which Dorian gracefully accepted, playing along despite the surprise of it all. “Pleasure to meet you, madame.” 

She giggled when he kissed her wrinkly little hand. “A true English gentleman, oh my! And I’ve heard so much about you ever since Klaus told us he was bringing you along.” 

Dorian whipped around to look at Klaus with raised brows. “You _have_? How — good.” 

She giggled at the gesture. “Come, come in and hang your coats and things so you can come through to the living room where everyone is.” 

Klaus said something in agreement before she went away to the adjacent room and the two of them could enter. Just as she was out of earshot, Dorian took Klaus by the shoulder. “What — _Klaus_? What was _that_?” He lacked words for everything happening around him. 

Klaus still smiled that weirdly convincing smile, but his icy tone was the same one Dorian knew and loved. “I’m a NATO intelligence officer. My job depends on acting in congruity to any situation that requires it.” 

Dorian blinked. “Well... I’m still shocked. Frankly, a little appalled that you keep up such a charade.” _But I shouldn’t be one to lecture on deceit and forgery, should I?_

Klaus dropped the smile and looked straight into Dorian’s eyes. “Two hours.” 

Dorian nodded subtly in agreement. He slid Klaus’ coat off to hang up on the elegant filigree coat stand. “I did like that you told her we’re ‘colleagues’. Nice work-around.” 

Klaus returned the favor and took off Dorian’s lambskin cloak. “Couldn’t exactly tell her the truth, right? ‘Formerly foe, current partner’ doesn’t have its place at a family gathering.” 

“No, I suppose not. Now, put your smile back on.” Not as if Klaus, ever the professional, needed to be told to do his job. 

Klaus led the way into a beautifully decorated room. Dorian was instantly taken by the classic Biedermeier style of romantic oak chairs and chaises, delicate light-fixtures in glass and porcelain, and the expensive floral wallpaper adorning every wall. Dorian immediately spotted the artworks surrounding him, cataloguing them in his head. Of course, only to remember fondly, not to have ‘go missing’. Boundaries. 

That peaceful moment of contemplating the room lasted Dorian about two seconds before he noticed the people; an overwhelming mass of dark-haired heads looked to him. Then he realized that they weren’t looking at him; they were of course looking at the Major. 

“Hello everyone!” Klaus announced boldly to the room and a resounding cheer was returned. People flocked to him to hug him and kiss his cheeks, all while Klaus kept his genial mask on. Dorian became increasingly suspicious upon witnessing how the Major seemed to almost return the affections twice fold, embracing each cousin and uncle who latched onto him with a vigor Dorian hadn’t seen before. It was not a display Dorian would have expected out of any German family, least of all Klaus’. From what he knew of his father, the Colonel, Dorian had assumed the worst. But it seemed these good people were — good people. 

And Klaus was the most good of the bunch. After each reunion, he redirected his kin to Dorian with a proper introduction. Of all the words Dorian loved to describe Klaus with, ‘hospitable’ was a new one to add to the list. _Although he’s faking it. But — is he though?_

All the family members that came the Major’s way and then to Dorian’s were fascinated by the Earl, and they were bad at hiding it. Most women envied his hair, which he was well-used to, so he met all the remarks of ‘Goodness, your hair is so beautiful!’ with a polite thank you. But even the men, usually put off by Dorian’s inherent queer qualities, shook his hand like an equal and some even complimented his handsomeness. Dorian would have to process that later, preferably after tea had been served. 

Steadily, the two worked their way through the crowd. Klaus then encountered another woman who resembled aunt Oda from the doorway, whom he also bent down to kiss and embrace with lots of ‘I’ve missed you so much, my dear boy!’ coming from her. Once broken free from her grip, Klaus presented her with that gift Dorian had forgotten all about in the haze of new impressions. The lady lit up with a gasp. 

“It’s only a little thing, Maxine. Your real Christmas present comes later, of course.” 

She unwrapped it with arthritic hands to reveal a leather-bound photo album. “Oh, Klaus, you shouldn’t —” She flipped through the pages, stopping at a particular photo with another gasp. “Look at you, so handsome!” 

Now Dorian was really starting to enjoy this afternoon. The picture was of a little boy, grinning while walking with a lady(a younger auntie Maxine, Dorian assumed) while holding her hand. She turned to Dorian with a doting smile. “Klaus was only eight years here when I took him to the botanical gardens. Always such a happy boy.” 

“How sweet — truly a memory to preserve.” Dorian replied. 

She looked at Klaus again, eyes misty. “Dear, thank you so much for gathering all these old photos for your little old aunt, you shouldn’t have. I can’t believe you remembered I told you that I wished for that!” 

Klaus made his best humble smile. “It was nothing. I had them lying in storage and knew you’d appreciate them more.” 

She reached for his shoulder so she could drag him down gently for another cheek-kiss. “Thank you. Oh, and a shame your father couldn’t be here today. Do say hi from me when you see him again.” 

“I will, I might see him before the new year so I’ll make sure to do that then.” Klaus got a pat on his cheek from auntie Maxine who then moved along to show Oda the present. Dorian could hear them cackling and awing as he and the Major went away. 

The two moved on to the drinks-table for a refreshment. It was a good opportunity for a stealthy regrouping. 

“Didn’t know one of your hobbies was scrapbooking.” 

“I had Hinkel put it together. Ridiculous.” 

Dorian wasn’t sure anymore what Klaus was calling ‘ridiculous’. It had been a rather topsy-turvy day so far. Considering Klaus’ newly discovered propensity for lying, it could be anything. Dorian had a sip of the _gl_ _ü_ _hwein_. 

Before Klaus could have his drink, something barreled into his leg from behind. Dorian looked down to see a cherubim-like boy looking up at Klaus. “Klaus, Klaus!” The boy shouted until the Major paid attention to him. 

“Florian! My, have you gotten strong, you almost made me lose my balance.” Klaus lied, though Dorian found it too adorable to care. 

“I’m a fighter-jet today!” Florian headbutted Klaus’ leg again. 

“Despite being a jet-fighter, can you say hi to my friend?” Klaus patiently asked. The boy stared up at Dorian, noticing him for the first time. “Hi.” He said very quietly. 

Dorian smiled genuinely at him. “Hello to you too. My name is Dorian.” 

“Dorian?” The boy giggled. 

“Yes. Our names rhyme, don’t they?” 

Florian giggled in reply. “You talk funny, why do you talk so funny?” 

Dorian played along, as his mission for today seemed to require of him. “Funny? Do you mean my impeccable English accent? Well, fair enough, I’m sure it must sound odd to hear my German, I must sound like I have a mouthful of potatoes while I talk.” 

Florian grinned, clearly amused. He then tugged some more at Klaus’ pant-leg. “Klaus, Klaus! Can I have a piggyback ride again?” 

Dorian heard those words and bitterly regretted he didn’t have his camera on him. Especially because Klaus’ reply was this: “Yes, of course!” and the Major kneeled down to let the little boy crawl onto his strong back. Up they went with Florian giggling all the way as Klaus swayed him around and seemed to try to imitate the movement of a horse to entertain the boy. Dorian stifled a grin behind his _gl_ _ü_ _hwein_. 

Someone patted Klaus on the shoulder, an unsurprising event considering the Major’s soaring popularity in this house. Dorian perceived the approaching man to be about Klaus’ age, no, probably a bit older, and grinning all over just like everyone else there seemed to be doing. Dorian also judged him to be a used car-salesman by the looks of his suit, although one of the nicer ones judging by his body language. 

“Klaus! I see you’ve got my boy hanging onto you already!” The man grinned as he mussed Florian’s hair. 

“Niki, good to see you — you look healthy!” Klaus didn’t have any free hands but he used his weaponized smile to greet him. “Dorian, this is my cousin Niki. Niki, I’ve brought a colleague, Dorian, the Earl of Gloria.” 

Niki directed his gaze to Dorian at last. The Earl wasn’t used to being second best in the attention-department. It was starting to feel weird. 

“An English Earl? Must be nice, eh?” He shook Dorian’s hand with a business-like grip. 

“Yes, indeed — but aren’t you all so used to the finer _liebhaber_ crowd?” Dorian gestured to the finely furnished room with his drink. 

“Well, we’re not all as well off as this one, eh, Mr. Mansion?” Niki nudged Klaus on the arm. Dorian looked for any signs of irritation on the Major’s face, but alas, none was found. The Earl had just started to bet with himself on when Klaus would crack. 

Klaus didn’t dignify the ‘question’ with a response, but instead directed his attention back to Florian who seemed to have gotten all the fun out of the piggyback ride by now. “Florian, would you like to come down? You can go back to being a jet-fighter again.” 

“Mmhno, I don’t wanna be a jet-fighterer anymore.” 

“Then what about a tank? You could try being a tank.” 

“What kinda tank?” 

“Well, well, you can always be the finest tank Germany has produced, the Panzer IV.” 

Florian lit up again. “Okay! Down, I wanna go back down!” 

Klaus placed him back on the floor with a sense of care Dorian had never seen before in the Major. Florian began to roll on the carpet, making engine-noises, and eventually rolled away from them. 

Niki laughed. ”So, how’s NATO treating you, you old geezer?” He swung an arm playfully around Klaus’ shoulders to squeeze him. Dorian expected them to start roughhousing any second now. It wouldn’t be a fair fight. 

“Better than the geezers at ‘Swindlers & Fakers Incorporated’, I bet.” Klaus retorted with a grin. It seemed to Dorian like the most Klaus-like interaction he had seen all afternoon, as the Major nearly approached his usual acerbic tone. 

Niki shook him some more before letting go of the Major’s shoulder. “And no wife yet either? Lucky dog.” 

Klaus answered with a laugh that teetered on sounding uncomfortable. Niki looked at Dorian again. “And you, Earl, you married, any kids?” 

“No, no, that’s not on the horizon. It’s a bachelor’s life for me.” Dorian tried to play it up with his best hetero impression. He kept eye contact with Klaus whose expression had a stiffness to it. Niki seemed to buy it as he also nudged Dorian’s arm and they all had a laugh over it. 

“Ah, speaking of: I bet you two haven’t said hi to Gisela yet, right? She’s hiding, she thinks she’s too good for this company, so we better drag her out of her corner. Gisela! Come say hi to Klaus and his friend!” Niki shouted over the din toward an unknown location. 

Dorian was getting weirdly nervous, it seemed like an odd way for a man to talk about one’s wife. The Earl looked behind him and saw in the corner of the room an armchair with a young lady slumped in it. She got up with her head hanging a bit and Dorian didn’t realize until then that she wasn’t anyone’s wife, as she was only a skinny teenager. When she made it over to the men, Dorian could see that she looked rather like a miniature Joan Jett, with the signature Eberbach hair mussed into a choppy bob. She did not look like she was enjoying the Christmas cheer. 

Niki looked to Dorian again. “This is Gisela, my oldest. Gisela, you remember Klaus, and he brought his friend Dorian. He’s an English Earl. Cool, huh?” 

Gisela stared at Dorian. She looked utterly disinterested. “Hi?” 

Dorian decided to make an effort and be persistent. It was one of the things he was best at. He offered his hand to shake. “Hello, Gisela. It’s nice to meet some of the younger people at this party, what, with everyone around us being so ancient.” He joked. 

She seemed to respect that as she took his hand. “Sure. What are you?” 

“Like your dad said, I’m an Earl.” 

“But what do you _do_?” 

Dorian exchanged a glance with Klaus. Good thing he had a cover for whenever civilians asked about his profession. “I’m an art dealer. I trade art and appraise it and whatnot.” 

“Really? Is that why you look like you stepped out of a Pre-Raphaelite painting?” She still stared at him with judgy eyes. 

Dorian couldn’t help but laugh. “Haven’t heard that one before! And I take it as a compliment, so thank you.” 

She hadn’t expected that reaction, it seemed. “It was either that or you’re one of those weirdo hair-metal musicians ‘cause you look so much like a fop.” 

Dorian laughed because he was having his first genuine interaction that afternoon. But beside him, Klaus’ expression changed entirely. 

“Gisela! That’s no way to speak about others. You can’t go around calling people you’ve just met nasty words like that.” Klaus was deadly serious as he spit the words at her. Dorian finally saw a bit of the real Major come through at last. At the same time, the Earl was having a hell of a time keeping his jaw from dropping at the appalling irony. He looked at Klaus disapprovingly. Klaus looked back with the subtlest of smirks. 

Gisela, meanwhile, put her hands up in mock-defense. “Sorry. Won’t do it again.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. If one of the Alphabets had talked back to the Major like that, he would have shouted at them so much they’d want to ship themselves to Alaska. But this was a family gathering. And Klaus’ chosen role didn’t permit anything above a stern reprimanding, it seemed. 

Gisela dragged her feet back to the armchair and Niki eventually moved on to talk to some other victim. Dorian wondered if Klaus was craving a smoke by now. It had already been forty-odd minutes since they had entered the party, and he hadn’t even smoked in the car-ride on the way over which was highly unusual for Klaus. Dorian didn’t realize until just then that the Major was trying to resist giving in while being in the present company. That’s also why he had just gotten his suit and coat dry-cleaned right before they went. No detail was left untouched in the Major’s backstory. 

Dorian decided to tempt him. “You think our hostess would mind me having a cigarette in here?” He whipped out the gilded etui from his jacket pocket, springing it open before Klaus could even answer. 

“I think you’d better not. The Eberbach family is strictly non-smoking.” Klaus replied in a lowered voice. 

“What about going outside for a bit? It’s not that cold, there’s not even snow.” Dorian pushed. 

“I thought you said you promised not to embarrass me.” 

By pure chance, Dorian looked up and, lo and behold, it seemed a mistletoe adorned the lamp above them. But he just smiled and resisted leaning in for a kiss. The etui went back into the pocket and they instead cut some _stollen_ to eat and had their _gl_ _ü_ _hwein_ in peace. Though it didn’t last long as Klaus got dragged away to sit at the cousins’ table despite his soft protests. Dorian didn’t know the man was even capable of a soft protest, but he witnessed it that day like so many other firsts in their time together. 

Dorian mingled and tried not to glance Klaus’ way too often. But he kept a vigilant eye on his wristwatch. _‘Two hours. Not a second more.’_ That was the strict plan. But the Earl was starting to doubt Klaus. The two-hour mark was coming up and he hadn’t made any motion toward the coat-stand. Dorian decided to sit back and watch it all unfold. 

Now was the moment it would turn out that Klaus had been keeping his secretly amiable side hidden and it had just been waiting to come out. Despite the initial shock, Dorian was pleased to be there for it. When they first met, Dorian really thought he could bring out that side in Klaus by sheer persistence. He eventually resigned himself to the fact that that side didn’t exist. And he had then fallen for the Major’s tough exterior and interior, not for the slim possibility of there being a softer core deep inside. 

While Dorian was deep in thought, he was jolted by a strong hand around his shoulder. A familiar grip. “It’s time to go, we don’t want to miss our next engagement.” 

Dorian got up, glancing surreptitiously at his watch. _Well, well, Iron Klaus does not disappoint._ “Good. Have you thanked the hostess?” 

“Yes, of course. Now, let's not be late —” But Klaus was cut off by Dorian’s hand waving a ‘I get it, I get it’ gesture at him. 

Klaus got really quiet once they went inside the hallway. He rushed the buttons on his coat and didn’t wait for Dorian to be zipped up either before pushing the door open. Inside the car at last, Klaus wrenched the gear into place and practically sped off with Dorian’s door barely closed. 

When they were finally on the main road, Klaus held out his open hand expectantly. Dorian wondered for a moment, then realized — he dug the cigarettes out of the jacket pocket again and lit one to pass into Klaus’ hand. The first drag had Klaus making a sound like a man heaving for air. He smoked one up and Dorian was ready with a second one, and this one they shared though it was probably a 70/30 split. 

Klaus held the third smoke in his steering wheel-hand and held out his free hand in the same expectant way again. After another moment of doubt, Dorian then placed his own hand there and Klaus held it. Dorian finally felt like things were coming back to the usual. 

“Incredible that you didn’t break character even once. Your endurance always impresses me, but you went the extra mile today.” 

“I could say the same about you.” Klaus kept Dorian’s hand while driving. 

Dorian liked it. “How many double lives do you lead?” 

“It used to be more.” 

**Author's Note:**

> After years and years of being in this fandom, I finally found the creative drive and right subject to write something for it. I think I started reading From Eroica With Love in 2010 and always loved it but just a few weeks ago I thought about re-reading the whole thing again and I am so thankful that I went and started that because it's so good, even better than I remember ! It's such a wild goosechase, a real screwball comedy, and I have a special place in my heart for it. 
> 
> Now, this fic is very much about my ideas of who Dorian and Klaus are, especially Klaus and how I want to examine his character. I thought of Klaus as a Big Intimidating Manly Man but as I returned to the series I found that it's just not the truth, of course. He canonically will sing a lullaby when politely prompted, he knows fashion history, and is a skilled schuhplattler dancer. Also he once said that he liked a wine because he thought the bottle was pretty. Most of this was established within the first two volumes of the series.  
> Also also, upon re-reading the series now, years after I made my first round, I realize that Klaus helps Dorian far more often than I remembered. The “softer core” is already there. There are so many situations in which Klaus isn’t bound by necessity or anything to help Dorian, but he does it for - various reasons. This realization got me thinking about how much of the Major’s hatred is for show, because everyone around him has expectations for how he should act.
> 
> And that’s the theme of this fic too, the expectations people have of you and how one can choose to adhere to them. Especially when you're around the people who have had expectations for you since your birth, your family members. 
> 
> Merry Christmas, and I all I want under my tree is for this fic to reach an effectively extinct fandom lol 
> 
> I know you're out there - so please comment if you have any thoughts about this fic or about the series so I know you exist ! Talk to me ! lol thank you


End file.
